A Different Kind Of Mermaid
by Prince Of The Mermaids
Summary: Ariel is completely broken after an accident caused her to lose Eric and Melody, can the mysterious stranger Xavier heal her? Rated M for violence and possible smut in the future. I suck at summaries. Whatever. ArielxOc ArielxUrchin ArielxPeter Pan


_A/N: This is the storyline I came up with for the AU Ariel I roleplay on Tumblr. I decided to post it here because, hell, why not? There may be a lot of mistakes, or there may be very few. However, I will not claim perfection and will not hesitate to correct anything you bring to my attention. Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think, or if I should continue after this chapter! _

A Different Kind Of Mermaid

Ariel didn't know how it had happened. She didn't even know _what _happened. How could a little magic trick have backfired that badly? She shook her head, staring around her at the bodies, so many dead bodies. What had started out as a simple present for her daughter's first birthday had somehow turned into a slaughter. Now she was alone. No more Eric, no more Melody, she had nothing anymore. She rocked back and forth, hugging her knees and crying. Something inside the former mermaid broke that day, and it seemed there was nothing that could be done to fix it.

One of her sisters found her later; she had thrown herself into the ocean, fully intending to drown. Her father, for fear of her safety, turned her back into a mermaid. Ariel was never happy. She tried her hardest to move on, to forget that she destroyed everything that she loved. A year or two later, Ariel finally remembered that there was now a kingdom without their queen. She begged her dad to let her go back, the kingdom had to be run by someone who knew the inhabitants, not a total stranger who just happened to be related to Prince Eric. Her dad consented, only if she agreed to his conditions. She had to take a necklace that gave her the ability to change her legs to a tail at any moment she chose, and she had to take Urchin along to watch her.

The sea witch, of course, could not let the princess be happy. She was the one who convinced Ariel to use magic, knowing full well what would happen if it backfired. In a way, she murdered Eric and Melody herself. She tapped her chin, weighing her options. She could always kill Urchin, but no. Somebody would realize it was her. There was only one choice, her son. Nobody knew him, so he could easily sneak on land and kill Urchin. She called him for the mission, knowing full well that if he broke Ariel's heart that would be exactly the push she needed to join his side.

Xavier sighed and shook his head as he walked into the palace. He was completely disgusted with his new task. Killing some pathetic wannabe prince was beneath him. He was stronger than his mother, and she knew that. Why, if it were not for him, she would still be dead. Rolling his eyes, he stalked into the ballroom, looking every bit the prince of darkness Ursula had wanted him to be. He allowed himself a small smirk, the anticipation for Ariel's reaction made him practically purr with amusement.

Ariel strutted into the ballroom, fully aware of all the men's eyes on her. She paid them no mind; she was only required to dance with them, nothing more. She smiled inwardly and fingered at the fabric of her gown. Carlotta had chosen well. The purple silk clung to her tightly, enough to show off her figure, but not enough to be outright scandalous. She hardly noticed when another human started hovering above her. Refusing to show that he had startled her, the princess looked up. Ariel flashed her most radiant grin at him and inclined her head to the side, studying him. **_Curly black hair, lightning blue eyes, the only difference between this man and Eric was the slightly darker skin tone. _**Ariel mused to herself; _**I think he may even be the same height. Interesting.** _The stranger cleared his throat, effectively bringing her back to the present. He offered a knowing smirk, and winked at her.

"Did I pass inspection, your highness?" He teased, laughter sparkling in his eyes.

Ariel, defiant and proud as ever, refused to admit he had ruffled her. She scoffed with a roll of her own eyes. She leveled her gaze with the stranger, glaring at him.

"Who are you, and why do you look so much like Prince Eric?" the implied, _**Why do you look so much like Prince Eric that it hurts**, _hung in the air, unspoken, but definitely known. The stranger simply bowed, before flashing a sharp-toothed grin at her. Ariel's stomach started doing little flips; she shook her head, berating herself. This was **_not_** Eric. This was just some man who looked very much like him.

" I'll gladly answer your question, if you'd accompany me to the dance floor." He extended a hand to her, smiling innocently. She chewed on her bottom lip, deciding finally that she would never forgive herself for turning him down. For all she knew, his motives were pure. Ariel let out a breath she had not even been aware she was holding and took the strangers hand.

Although his orders were very clear, and he was not under any circumstance allowed to fall for Ariel, Xavi's mind did not catch up to his heart. It had already been pounding when he saw the princess sitting there alone in the ballroom. She was beautiful. Her eyes, though holding an extreme amount of sadness, sparked to life when she saw him. Her entire face lit up, before she schooled her facial expression into a careful mask. When he took her to the dance floor and told her exactly who he was, he expected anger. The softness he received was a welcome surprise.

Xavier pulled Ariel to him, smiling at the princess. One arm was locked firmly around her waist and she followed suit. Dancing was something she could do. It didn't require much thought. She let her instincts take over, wrapping an arm around his neck and intertwining her free hand with his, she allowed him to lead her in a waltz. Slowly, they came closer together. Both of Xavier's arms were around Ariel's waist, and though he had no clue why, he never wanted to let go. He looked down at her sadly; they would not be dancing so close if she knew what he had done to her guardian earlier. He was quite glad she was nowhere near when Urchin was murdered. He had planned it this way, now nobody could blame her. Ariel looked up at the much taller man, her brow scrunching in confusion. The effect was quite adorable, honestly. She wrapped her arms around his neck and tried not to pout, taking his sudden withdrawal as a sign that she did something wrong.

**_'Stop it. Stop this right now, Xavier. You're on a mission. You are NOT to find the enemy adorable.' _**He chastised himself. _**'She wouldn't even want you if she knew you just killed Urchin.'** _Xavier frowned, pulling Ariel in closer. Screw this. Tonight, if the princess wanted him, she could have him. It was only one night, and then he could go back to being alone. He could forget the fiery little mermaid in his arms, and he could pretend he didn't care about being alone again. He pulled Ariel away from where she could be seen, into a dark corner of the ballroom. She looked up at him, her cheeks flushed a bright pink. All he wanted was to kiss the pout away from those bright pink lips. Xavier didn't even realize he had done it, until she started kissing him back. Then he grabbed her waist, pulling her up against him and kissing her with everything he had. He put all his pain, loss, everything he felt about the fact that he was going to lose her after tonight into the kiss. He didn't pull away until breathing became an absolute necessity. Even then, he just wanted to take her away. He wanted her to be his. He knew he couldn't, and his heart shattered into a million pieces right that instant.


End file.
